Category Archives: Geothermal

Getzschman Heating and Air Is Proud to Be a Part of the Fremont Community

Our fine city of Fremont was recently named “Community of the Year” by Nebraska Diplomats. The city of Fremont was recognized at the Nebraska Diplomats Greater Omaha Regional Economic Development Celebration on Tuesday, February 14th, for their achievements in community growth and business partnerships. Governor Ricketts attended the luncheon and presented the award to Mayor Scott Getzschman.

Mayor Getzschman Is Very Proud

“It was extremely exciting to be singled out for the award,” said Getzschman. “We have a great staff, city council, and planning department that have contributed, but we can’t do this without the support and collaboration of partnerships like Greater Fremont Development Council and the Fremont Chamber. We are excited for the citizens of Fremont who can be proud of their community’s achievements and this recognition.”

Fremont Just Keeps Getting Better

“I’m really excited for the community as a whole,” said Garry Clark, executive director of the Greater Fremont Development Council. “The community has seen several projects take place in 2017 including efforts towards housing and infrastructure, and new companies that have landed here like the Costco|Lincoln Premium Poultry processing plant and most recently, Legacy Post & Beam. The future of Fremont is strong and vibrant. We are grateful for the governor and the Nebraska Diplomats’ recognition.”

The Nebraska Diplomats is a non-profit corporation that travels the globe representing Nebraska. They are the largest economic development organization in the state that helps to foster the growth of Nebraska.

Geothermal Credits Are Expiring in December: Save Big Now to Save Bigger Later!

The federal government’s tax credit program for installing a geothermal heat pump ends on December 31st, 2016. This tax credit pays for 30% of the cost of a new geothermal heat pump system, including the installation costs, for any private residence in the United States. While this credit is not applicable to rental homes, it does apply to the primary and secondary homes of US homeowners.

To get this amazing credit, you must have had the system installed by December 31st, so time is quickly running out for the chance to have the federal government pay for nearly a third of the costs. Geothermal systems, like any major home upgrade, can sometimes be expensive to install, so taking advantage of this credit is the best opportunity for many homeowners to have this money-saving, eco-friendly heating and cooling system installed in their homes.

The Department of Energy lists a number of reasons for why a geothermal heat pump is a great home heating and cooling choice for many US homes :

Less space required than a traditional HVAC system, thus freeing up room inside the home for extra storage.

25-50% less electricity used over conventional heating and cooling systems, meaning that the savings from lower utility bills will pay for most geothermal heat pumps in 2-10 years.

No outside air conditioning units, clearing up space and beautifying your home’s outside.

Few moving parts and operation so quiet most people are not aware of when the system is running.

Maintains even home humidity levels at around 50%, especially useful for humid areas in the summer and places with dry winters.Related Read: Why Geothermal?

The choice is clear. The savings from a geothermal heat pump, the extra space inside and outside of your home, and the government tax credit make this truly one of the smartest home upgrades you can invest in for your home’s heating and cooling solutions.

Contact us at Getzschman Heating & Cooling right away if you’re interested in learning more about installing a geothermal system at (402) 554-1110. Your chance to save on your taxes through lower home utility bills is quickly running out.

What Is Geothermal Heating?

Are you thinking green? Many green-thinking homeowners have made the switch to geothermal heating for their Omaha-area home. What is geothermal heating? What does it mean for homeowners? And how can homeowners make the switch? Let the G-Force heating and cooling team explain.

What Is Geothermal Heating?

In order to explain geothermal heating, we first need to explain geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is the thermal energy that is produced and stored in the Earth. In other words, it is the Earth’s internal heat. Instead of burning fossil fuels, which is done in ordinary heating and cooling systems, geothermal systems simply transfer heat (geothermal energy) to and from the earth. Check out the four basic geothermal energy sources for a description of how the systems work in your home.

What Does Geothermal Heating Mean For Homeowners?

The initial purchase and installation of a geothermal heat pump, or GHP, is often higher than most heating and cooling systems. However, homeowners can recover their investment through lower energy in two to ten years. In fact, according to the US Department of Energy, geothermal heat pumps don’t just bring lower energy bills. “GHPs equipped with a device called a ‘desuperheater’ can heat household water. In the summer cooling period, the heat that is taken from the house is used to heat the water for free. In the winter, water heating costs are reduced by about half.”

How Can Homeowners Make the Switch?

Many Omaha-area homeowners have easily made the switch to geothermal heating. It is recommended that homeowners choose a company, such as Getzschman, that has experience with geothermal heating. From here, the heating and cooling company will come out to your home and walk you through the various geothermal heat pump options. Once an option has been chosen, the next steps will vary, and before you know it your geothermal heating will have you saving lots of money in energy bills each month.

What’s the Difference Between a Heat Pump & Furnace?

Here in the Midwest, heating and cooling your home efficiently is very important. We experience the extreme high and lows and everything in between. That means a large part of our monthly utility bills is made up of heating and cooling expenses. So when you’re looking for the best heating and cooling system for your home, it’s always best to assess all of your options before deciding which is best for you. The Omaha heating and cooling experts at Getzschman explain the main differences between a heat pump and furnace in hopes that it will help you make a more informed decision for your home and your family.

They Use Different Mechanisms

The biggest difference between heat pumps and furnaces is the way in which they operate. A furnace, usually located somewhere in your basement or indoor closet, uses natural gas or propane to create a flame that burns. This flame then heats up small tubes called heat exchangers. When the furnace fan blows air over these tubes, the air is heated as it gets pushed into your home’s duct system and into your living quarters.

A heat pump uses electricity instead of gas to heat your home. Your heat pump is located outside of your home, and looks very similar to an air conditioning unit. This unit is connected with wires and copper tubing to an air handler located inside your home. The air handler is composed of two important parts, a fan and a coil. The fan operates similar to a furnace, as it pushes air throughout your home, but the coil is what gets hot in the winter and cool in the summer. While most homes have these air source heat pump systems, some use geothermal heat pumps in Omaha and across the country. These types of systems use the ground temperature to heat and cool the home. This option can be more expensive to install at first, but is much more efficient over time.

You Can Use Both

Some people choose to install both a furnace and heat pump for optimal efficiency and comfort. The heat pump can heat and cool your home efficiently most of the year, except for when it gets really cold, in which case the furnace would kickon. These hybrid systems are more common in more temperate environments, but can work in areas like the Midwest too. It all comes down to personal preference and comfort.

If you’re interested in either a furnace or a heat pump, call G-Force at 402-721-6301 today. We will work hard to keep your family comfortable around the clock.

5 Steps toward Becoming a Zero-Energy Home

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could say goodbye to energy bills forever? Zero-energy buildings have a net energy consumption of, well, zero. This means they produce at least as much energy as they use. While this is not something that is feasible for the average homeowner, it’s possible to live a greener and more economical lifestyle and reduce your energy consumption. How? Find out with this energy advice from Getzschman Heating & Cooling.

1. Be smart. If you are really committed to reducing your carbon footprint, it starts with the small things, like turning off the lights when you leave the room, taking shorter showers and being willing to open your windows to keep your house cool. It’s not glamorous, it’s not complicated, but it can make a big difference for the environment and your wallet.

2. Design. In a perfect world, you begin living a zero-energy lifestyle with the design of your home. This can be done by strategically positioning windows to take advantage of crosswinds, putting living space on the warmer south and east sides of your home and so on. However this is not a breaking point, even if you are not building your home from scratch, you can still reduce your energy consumption.

3. Passive solar. Passive solar energy means taking advantage of the natural heating (and cooling) properties of the sun. This is anything from keeping your windows open when it’s cold and shutting them when it’s sunny to drawing the shades in the summer against the harsh glare. These simple actions can significantly reduce your heating and cooling bills and keep your home more comfortable with the natural heat and light.

4. Active solar. If you want to further reduce your energy usage, there are some affordable solar energy options. These options include putting a discrete solar cell on your roof or in your yard or using a solar-powered water heater to take some of the heavy lifting away from your gas or electric model.

5. Geothermal heating and cooling. The earth is naturally cool any time of year. Installing a geothermal loop in your yard lets you take advantage of that, helping to bring cooler air in to your home in the summer. Because you’re using the natural properties of the earth, you don’t use as much electricity to maintain your home comfort.

For more information about geothermal heating and cooling, give Getzschman a call! We can help you install or repair a geothermal heating system.

Living Green in Today’s World Does Not Have to Cost You Countless Greenbacks

Move over solar power – enter geothermal heating and cooling resources! Have you considered looking into some of the energy alternatives that are out there available for the comfort of your family and home? Believe it or not, there is more to alternative energy than just photovoltaic technology – in fact, using the earth’s core is a great way to conserve fuel costs while caring for our environment at the same time.

Until now, one of the biggest hurdles in getting homeowners to sign up for this fantastic energy source has been cost. While the reputation for such types of innovative heating and cooling methods is to be astronomical in price – the truth is that when you combine rebates, with government incentives and the basic savings from traditional energy resources – it all makes good financial sense.

Benefits of Converting Your Furnace & Air Conditioner to a Geothermal System

You can save up to 70% of your annual utility bills when harnessing the earth’s core energy to heat and cool your home.

Save the environment and reduce your carbon footprint as a result of using clean energy, directly accessed from the core of our earth.

Contribute to the environment in more ways than one; with geothermal energy there are no noisy outdoor units that clutter the atmosphere with unwanted noise pollution.

How Geothermal Energy Can Be Affordable Compared to Conventional Heating/Cooling Systems

Receive valuable tax credits from the government to help offset the costs of installing the geothermal systems. Credits of up to 30% significantly reduce the financial investment needed for a lifetime of clean, renewable and safe energy.

The City of Omaha provides a grant under the reEnergize Program, designed to encourage residents to engage in innovative methods of energy consumption. The savings add up to about $7,000 through this program.

Our own utility department, OPPD, will reduce the electrical rate during our coldest months plus issue a rebate of approximately $400 upon purchase of a geothermal heat pump.

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Considering all the factors at hand, by instituting some of these programs and special incentives you can enjoy the many environmental and financial benefits of having geothermal energy in your home as compared to conventional heating and cooling systems.

Why Geothermal?

Geothermal systems create a significant reduction in the heating and cooling costs as compared to the conventional heating and cooling systems most people have in their homes today. For every unit of electricity the system uses to operate, it provides 3 to 4 units of heating and cooling energy. A Geothermal system also provides:

Increased Comfort. Geothermal uses the stable earth temperatures to maintain consistent indoor temperatures. This translates into a more even heat in the winter and better humidity control in the summer.

Cost Savings. Geothermal systems pay for themselves over time by drastically reduced utility bills. On top of that, the upfront costs can be offset by the 30% Energy Tax Credit for Geothermal Systems.

Safety. Geothermal systems do not burn fossil fuels, so there are no flames, no odors, and no risk from carbon monoxide when using Geothermal in an all electric system.

The reality is that Geothermal Systems are simply the most energy efficient systems available today. They are also environmentally friendly, so you can feel good when that thermostat calls for heating or cooling. Combined with the Energy Tax Credit, Geothermal systems are also more affordable than they have ever been. So now is the time to upgrade to a Geothermal system. Contact Getzschman for a free consultation.